


In His Eyes

by ForestAgain



Category: The Glass Scientists (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-10-01 07:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17240096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestAgain/pseuds/ForestAgain
Summary: Most people assume Henry Jekyll's eyes are just a very saturated brown. Robert Lanyon, however, begs to differ.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [toastyrabbit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastyrabbit/gifts).



Robert was sitting at the dinner table, nursing a glass of wine he snatched for himself while his mother wasn't looking, trying his best not to engage himself in the party going on around him.

He never recalled a time when the so-called spirit of Christmas was present in his house. His mother would read to him sometimes stories of Christmas miracles and happy reunions, where even the coldest souls melted and the biggest vices defeated, and he always found the image so alien to him. In Robert's mind, Christmas was simply another opportunity for the aristocrats to show off their wealth and influence (as if they haven't already been doing that all year) and make plenty of noise at his father's Christmas dinner party.

It was always the same pretentious clothing and distasteful music, the same people showing off just how much money they can spend on the most useless trinkets. Robert was only fifteen years old, and he's already seen it all.

He turned his attention to his plate. At least the food was decent. If he was stuck here for the rest of the evening, he may enjoy it as well as he could.

The goose and the pudding kept him occupied for some time, though given his previous experience with Christmas parties, it was not as long of a time as he'd like to. He looked around the hall again. At first, he didn't notice anything unusual. Elderly benefactors and distant relatives were chatting enthusiastically, the servants were rushing around in the background, the Christmas tree stood in the center of the room, a solemn and ominous reminder of the long and dreadfully boring hours to come.

And then he saw a flash of a dazzling red.

He didn't even know that people could have such bright red eyes. They looked like they were glowing, clear for Robert to see even from the other end of the table. The owner of the red eyes was a young boy - a bit younger than Robert - with a matching red ribbon around the neck. He, too, seemed to feel lost at this party, and was staring into vacancy, having barely touched his food.

Robert couldn't stop looking at him. This boy was so different from everyone else at the party, yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. It wasn't the age - there were plenty of other young people around, and they fit right in the holiday chaos. It wasn't the refined clothing and appearance - this hall was currently filled to the brim with the fanciest people in London.

But there was certainly something in those red eyes that mesmerized Robert fully.

He leaned towards his mother, who was deeply invested in gossip with some ladies a few chairs across, and called for her quietly.

'Mother, who is that young gentleman sitting next to Dr Denman?'

Her eyebrow raised, just for a moment but long enough for Robert to notice. Yet she quickly recomposed herself.

'Oh, him? That's the Jekyll's boy. They moved from Scotland about ten years ago, with the family business. I'm surprised you never met him before, Mr Jekyll has recently become a frequent guest of your father's."

Robert simply nodded in response and kept staring at the red-eyed boy from across the table. And then he was staring at him behind the Christmas tree, and then - he really didn't realize how this happened - he was staring at him while standing right in front. 

When he realized that he was probably being rude staring at a person like that and that he should say something, it was too late and the boy raised his head.

'Good evening,' said he simply.

'H-hi.'

Robert's voice, usually so distant and calculated, was betraying him. The boy, however, didn't seem flustered at all and continued with the friendliest expression:

'You're Lanyon, aren't you?' 

It took more than a few moments for Robert to register what was being said.

'Robert. I go by Robert,' blurted he finally.

'Nice to meet you, Robert! I'm Henry Jekyll.'

With that, he extended his hand to Robert, and as he accepted this simple gesture, it came to his head that he just witnessed the first Christmas miracle in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, the last day of winter is the best time to update a Secret Santa fic.
> 
> (Sorry! :D)

The silver rays of a rising full moon slipped into the room through the lace curtains, glistening off the Cabernet on the coffee table and the two empty glasses. Robert was reclining on the sofa, his feet stretched nonchalantly towards the fireplace.

His parents, his professors, or really any reasonable member of society would certainly not approve of such careless behavior. But tonight was not intended for society's eyes. Tonight was different.

For now, he didn't have to worry about leaving for London the next day, or spending the Christmas break with his parents, or the new semester up ahead. Tonight was a moment of perfection that he wouldn't allow to be ruined. It was just about him relaxing in his dormitory room, and the red wine on the table, and the red coals crackling in the fireplace, and the shining red eyes of his best friend and roommate, Henry Jekyll.

He tried to reach for the bottle from the sofa, but gave up halfway through. His body felt much heavier than usual; the hour was late, and the effects of fatigue and alcohol already started to manifest. Besides, it was kind of hard to move with Henry leaning with his whole weight against his shoulder.

'Pass me that, would ya?'

'S'empty. Has been for half an hour.'

Henry slurred through his words. He was younger than Robert and generally drank less than him, so his tolerance was somewhat lower.

They lay together quietly for a few minutes. Robert was already falling into a slumber when the silence was interrupted.

'Shit!'

'What- what's the matter, Henry?' asked Robert in a sleepy voice.

'I forgot about the notes! Again!'

His voice, already full of emotion, sounded even louder in the quiet dorm.

'What notes- what are you talking about?'

'The lecture from two weeks ago- I asked Maw to lend me his notes, and I haven't returned them since! He will probably not be there tomorrow, and I have to catch a train to Scotland first thing in the morning, and-'

'Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh.'

Robert slowly raised a finger to his lips.

'It's okay, Henry. You can return them after the break. You don't have to worry about it now.'

'But- but I promised him- and what if he needs them during the break- I-'

'What kind of student spends their Christmas break looking at lecture notes? It's going to be fine, Henry. You're making this a bigger deal than it is.'

'It wouldn't be such a big deal if it was the first incident of the sort. But I just keep doing this, over and over again! I borrowed that burner from chemistry class and it took me two months to return, I forgot to write a letter to my parents back in October and they were furious... Oh, and remember that time I ruined Gabriel's suit? Don't you see, I'm just a big screw up!'

'Henry-'

'Oh, and don't even let me start on-'

_'Henry.'_

It took some effort to outvoice his roommate, who at this moment was switching to a dangerous volume, but Robert did manage to get Henry's attention.

'Henry, you are _not_ a screw up. You're trying your best, and that's what counts.'

'But the mistakes just never stop coming!'

'You're allowed to make mistakes. In fact, what better time to make mistakes than now, when we're young and healthy and our only limit is our parents' paychecks? Society almost expects us to be screw ups at this age.'

'Well, where's the guarantee that the screw ups won't stop when I'm older?'

Robert took a deep sigh. He didn't want for this conversation to get any further. He was tired, Henry was tired, they were both drunk, and arguing wouldn't be of any use at that moment.

'...Listen. You're not the devil you're painting yourself to be, Henry. You're a good guy, and that's all that matters.'

There was no response, and Robert almost believed that he calmed his friend down - or perhaps that tiredness finally overcame him. But after a few moments, an uncharacteristically low voice rose from the silence.

'...and how do you know that?'

'What?'

'How do you know that I'm a good person?'

Robert froze for a second, stunned by the question. Yet he quickly recomposed himself, and left out a chuckle.

'Oh, I _know_ you, Henry. I've lived with you for a year now, and I've known you even before that. I probably know you better than anyone else.'

'No, you don't.'

This time, Robert didn't have any words to answer with. Whether it was it the alcohol silencing him, or a genuine bewilderment by his friend's unusual behavior, he couldn't tell.

'I'm sorry, Robert, but there are parts of me that you know nothing about. That I wouldn't like anyone to learn about. Honestly, if I could, I would get rid of them for good. Like a surgeon removing infected tissue from a body. That... would solve things.'

He saw a glimpse of a wishful smile on Henry's moonlit face.

'Oh, if only that was possible... Life would be devoid of all that is unbearable. You, for starters, would get a better roommate.'

When Robert woke up the next day, he couldn't remember whether the words 'I like you just the way you are' really escaped his lips that night or solely stayed in his mind as a last thought when his consciousness was leaving him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! And once again, sorry for taking so long to update. Life gets in the way. I will not be making promises on when this updates next, either. 'Hopefully soon' is your best guess.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the Glass Scientists Secret Santa, dedicated to the wonderful Maxwell aka @toastyrabbit! I'm terribly sorry this took me so long to publish! It's actually supposed to have multiple chapters, if you're patient enough I might get to finish it by the end of January. 
> 
> I really hope you like it and I hope it turned out as gay as was planned (and if not, there are plenty more gay opportunities in the next chapters :3) And Happy New Year!


End file.
